BLUES-mad pupils at a school in the shadow of St Andrew's are crying foul after their traditional royal blue uniform was swapped - for the claret and blue of city rivals Aston Villa.

BLUES-mad pupils at a school in the shadow of St Andrew's are crying foul after their traditional royal blue uniform was swapped - for the claret and blue of city rivals Aston Villa.

For decades pupils at St Andrew's Primary School in Bordesley have proudly worn royal blue sweatshirts with a royal blue and white striped tie and a white shirt - the same colour their football heroes wear on the pitch next door.

But the uniform has now changed as the school prepares to re-open next week as Bordesley Village School and Children's Centre.

Parents informed by letter at the end of last term say any other new colour uniform would have been acceptable. But their Blues-mad sons and daughters are not prepared to start wearing claret and blue - the traditional colours of Second City rivals Aston Villa.

The move has already sparked outrage from the Birmingham City Supporters Club which meets at the St Andrew's Tavern in Small Heath.

Member Tom Foley said: "I can't believe they are making the loyal children of Blues fans wear Villa colours. It is outrageous."

Parent Leena Mills, aged 30, of Keeley Street, whose daughter Megan, seven, is a pupil at St Andrew's said: "This school has long been affiliated to St Andrew's and most of the children are Blues supporters.

"I went there as a child as did my brother Paul and sister Lyndsay and we are all Blue-noses.

"The decision to re-name the school caused a row but now it is the uniform. I can't see the children wearing it. "They have even started painting the old royal blue school railings claret - it is just not right."

Megan said: "I love St Andrew's School and I love the Blues and our blue uniform. We get to go to games sometimes because the club give us free tickets and the players came in to read to us once.

"I don't want to wear the new uniform because it is like Villa."

Her friend Danielle Murray, aged 10, said: "I think a lot of people will still wear blue because that is our team's colour and it shows we are all true blue."

But headteacher Alan Bamber today defended the new uniform, which he said was "Bordeaux" in colour and not claret, saying it had been

introduced to mark the exciting new changes incorporated within the new school. He admitted he had no interest in football and had not been aware of the row over the new burgundy sweatshirt which will be worn with a blue polo shirt.

Deputy head at the school Alayne Clowes said today the "Bordeaux" coloured sweatshirt had been chosen after consultation with the school governors.

She said: "We needed a new corporate identity and now children at the nursery, primary and new children's centre will all wear the same.

"We are not trying to be villains in any sense of the word and there will be a period of transition and parents can still send their children in in the old uniform until it needs replacing."